Cutter for meat grinders



I Jan. 9, 1940. c. w. DIECKMANN 2,186,716

CUTTER FOR MEAT GRINDERS Filed Sept. l1, 1937 mn-nm Patented Jan. 9, 1940y UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE Charles W. Dieckmann, Chicago, Ill.

Application September 11, 1937, Serial No. 163,349

2 Claims.

The present inventionrelates generally to cutters for meat grinders. vention relates to that type of meat grinder cutter which is adapted to fit against the inner face of a circular perforated plate at the discharge end of the casing of the grinder and to be driven conjointly with a feed screw by a centrally disposed shaft in the casing and comprises (l) a cast metal spider consisting of a hub and a pluicf ralityof substantially radially extending arms; and (2)` a knife against the rear face of, and connected for drive by, the spider and consisting of a hub lwith a shaft receiving hole therein and ya plurality of blades which extend substantially l radially from the hub and in lapped relation with the'arms of the spider and have the front or leading margins thereof bent rearwardly and ground to form knife edges for cutting the meat as it is fed by the screw against the perforated 530y plate.

One object of the invention is to provide ay cutter of this type in which the arms of the spider are grooved longitudinally to receive the rear or trailing margins of the blades of the 25 knife and-also form shoulders which engage the rear edges of the blades throughout the entire length thereof and form effective driving connections between the spider arms and the knife. Another object of the invention is to provide 30 a meat grinder cutter of the last mentioned character inwhich the knife is adapted to be connected to the spider by rotating it relatively to the spider in order to bring the rear or trailing margins thereof into place in the grooves in the 35 spider arms and the spider has integral lips which' overhang and are position-ed outwardly of the outer portions o f the grooves and are adapted releasably and frictionally to hold said trailing margins of the blades within the grooves after ,msuch margins have been inserted or moved into the grooves as the result of relative rotation of the knife and spider in connection with the ase sembly of the cutter. f

A still further object of the invention is to 45 provide a meat grinder cutter which not only is an improvement upon, and is more eflicient, practical a'nd sanitary than, previously designed cutters ofthe same general character but is also so designed and constructed that it may be manu--l 50 factured at a lowand reasonable cost.

Other objects of the invention and the various advantages and characteristics of the present meat grinder cutter will be apparent from a consideration ofthe following detailed description.

55 -4 The invention consists in the lseveral novel fea- More particularly the intures which are hereinafterv set` forth and are more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing `which accompanies and forms a part of this specification or disclosure and in 55- which like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectional View of the discharge end of a meat grinder having applied thereto a cutter embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective of the improved cutter showing the knife and spider in connected or assembled relation; n

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view showing the 18 knife inr position to be rotated into interlocked or connected relation with the arms of the spider;

Figure 4 is a side view of the cutter;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front view of ther ,knife illustrating in detail the manner in which the blades are connected-to the knife hub;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line E- of Figure 3 and illustrating the position of the rear or `trailing margins of the knife blade prior to rotation of the knife into r ,y

connected relation with the spider; and

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view showing the manner in which the lips serve releasably and i frictionally to hold the trailing margins of the knife bladesin the grooves in the arms of the spider. l

The cutter which is'shown in the drawing constitutes the preferred embodiment of the invention and comprises as the parts or elements thereof a spider 8 and a knife 9 and is adapted 355V for use in connection with a meat Agrinder G. The latter is of conventional or standard design and comprises a horizontally lextending tubular body b and a feed screw f: The body b embodies at the inlet end thereof a hopper (notshown) and 40; has a perforated plate p at its discharge end. Ihe plate, as shown in Figure l, fits within an annular groove in the discharge end of the body and is secured in place by means of a clamp ring r. The feed screw extends longitudinally through 45 'the body b and is adapted during'drive or rotament e, and an enlarged cylindrical part c. The cutter is disposed between the discharge end of the feed screw and the perforated plate and is adapted for conjoint drive with the screw and to cut or grind the meat as the latter is fed by the screw to and through the plate p.

The spider 8 is formed of a one piece metallic casting and consists of a hub I and a plurality of arms II. The hub I0 has a polygonal hole I2 which extends through the central portion thereof and corresponds in shape to the polygonal enlargement e on the shaft s and is adapted to receive said enlargement, as shown in Figure l, and form a driving connection between the shaft and the spider. In addition to the polygonal hole I2 the hub I of the spider has a circular seat I3. This seat is formed in the rear face of the hub I0 and is larger in size than the hole. The arms II of the spider are preferably four in number and extend substantially radially from the hub IB. They are arranged at right angles to one another and have longitudinally extending grooves I4 in the rear faces thereof. These grooves extend from what may be termed the leading edges of the arms to the central portions of the arms and run or extend from the outer extremities of the arms to the circular seat I3. The faces of the spider arms which define the bottom portions of the grooves are fiat and extend at an angle of approximately 25 with respect to the plane of the rear face of the hub ID. The faces of the arms which define the inner side portions of the grooves extend at right angles to the faces which define the groove bottom portions, and form or constitute longitudinally extending shoulders I5. The latter extend from the outer extremities of the arms to the seat I3. The front faces of the arms I I of the spider are curved or rounded so that the meat is readily deflected to the sides of the arms when the cutter is in use in the grinder G.

The knife 9 is designed and adapted to iit against the rear face of the spider il of the cutter and consists of a hub IG and a plurality of blades I'I. The hub is ring-shaped and has a hole I8 in the central portion thereof. This hole corresponds in diameter to, and is adapted to receive, the enlarged cylindrical part c of the shaft s, as shown in Figure 1. The hub I t is shaped to fit within the circular seat I3 in the hub I0 of the spider and coacts with said seat to hold the knife against side or edgewise displacement with respect to the spider when it is in its operative position, that is, in connected or assembled relation with the spider. The blades I'I correspond in number to the arms II and are formed separately from the hub I6. They extend substantially radially from the hub, as shown in Figure 3, and are arranged at right angles to one another. The inner ends of the blades are pointed, as shown in Figure and i'lt within and are welded to V-shaped cut-outs I9 in the outer margin ofthe hub I6. The blades I'I are formed of steel or like hard metal and are cut in such manner that the grain of the metal extends longitudinally thereof. The rear or trailing margins of the blades are adapted to t flatly within the grooves I4 in the arms II of the spider and are flat on both faces thereof as shown in Figures 6 and 7. They are shaped conformably to the grooves I4 and are disposed at an angle of approximately 25 with respect to the plane of the rear face of the ring shaped hub I6. The rear edges of the trailing margins of the blades II are straight and are adapted to t flatly against the shoulders I5 when the knife is in its operative position with respect to the spider. The shoulders I5 are the same in length as the rear edges of the trailing margins of the blades II and hence driving pressure is applied to the blades throughout the entire length thereof and there is little if any strain on the junctures of the blades and the hub I6 during operation of the cutter. The front or leading margins of the blades are bent rearwardly and are ground at the front portions thereof to form cutting edges 20. The latter are adapted during operation of the cutter to revolve around the inner face of the perforated plate p and effect grinding or cutting of the meat as the latter is forced against the plate by the feed screw f.

In order releasably and securely to hold the knife in connected or assembled relation with the spider the arms II are provided with integral longitudinally extending lips 2l. These lips overhang the outer rear portions of the grooves I 4, as shown in Figures 4, 6 and '7 and are adapted frictionally to grip the outer portions of the rear or trailing margins of the blades I'I. The inner faces of the lips 2l are spaced from the walls of the spider arms ll which dene the bottom portions of the grooves I4 a distance substantially corresponding to the thickness of, the blades with the result that the trailing margins of the blades are frictionally gripped when the knife is in place with the rear edges of the blades in abutting relation with the shoulders I5. The lips extend inwards from the outer ends of the arms II of the spider and terminate adjacenil to the central portions of said arm. ln assembling the cutter, that is, in connecting the knife to the spider, the knife is first arranged so that the ring-shaped hub I6 thereof is in centered relation with the circular seat I3 in the hub of the spider and the blades Il are opposite the grooves I4 in the arms II and in spaced relation with the lips 2|, as shown in Figure 3. Thereafter the blades are pressed towards the spider arms I I and the knife is rotated relatively to the spider in order to bring the rear or trailing margins of the blades into seated relation with the grooves and abutment with the shoulders I5. The blades are urged or pressed inwards in order to bring the trailing margins thereof beneath the lips 2|. Because of the arrangement and design of the lips the knife moves into its operative position with a snap action and is frictionally and effectively held in place by the lips as soon as the trailing edges come into abutment with the shoulders I5. In order to remove the knife for cleaning or repair purposes it is only necessary to rotate it relatively to the spider to a point Where the trailing margins of the blades clear the lips ZI and then shift the knife axially away from the spider.

The herein described cutter may be manufactured at a low and reasonable cost due to the fact that it consists of but two parts and does not embody hooks or attaching screws for securing the knife to the spider. By reason of the fact that the lips 2| are employed releasably and frictionally to hold the knife in place the knife is correctly held in place in its operative position and may be readily removed from the spider for washing purposes. Due to the fact that the blades I'I of the knife are formed separately from the ring I6 and with the grain transversely thereof they are capable of effectively fulfilling their purpose without undue wear or likelihood of breakage.

The invention is not to be understood as restrcted to the details set forth, since these may be modiiied'within rthe scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

lus

1. A cutter for a meat grinder, comprising a spider consisting of a hub with mounting means therefor, and a plurality of arms extending sub- "stantially radially from the hub! and embodying in their rear faces longitudinal grooves extending inwardly from the leading edges of the arms to the central portions. of said arms and from the outer extremities of the arms to the hub and having flat bottom faces extending at an acute angle with respect to the plane of the rearface of the hub and also having straight full length shouldersalong their rear portions, a detachable unitary knife consisting of a hub iitting against said rear'face of the spider hub and a plurality of blades connected to and extending substantially radially from said knife hub and havingthe lead- 'v ing margins lthereof shaped to present cutting edges and their trailing margins extending angu larly with respect to the knife hub and fitting flatly in the grooves and against said shoulders, and sole means for releasably securing the knife in assembled relation with the spider comprising elongated lips connected to the spider arms andv positioned along and in overhanging relation 'with' the outer portions of the shoulders and so as to engage directly and frictionally the rear faces of. the trailing margins of the blades, said knife being attachable to the spider by placing thel hub thereof against said rear face of the spider lhub 'and they bladesin substantially lapped relation l with the spider arms and then pressing the blades face anda plurality of arms extending substan-- tiallyv radially from the hub and embodying in their rear faces longitudinal grooves extending y inwardly from the leading edges'oi". the arms to the central vportions of said arms and from the outer extremities of the arms vto the seat and having flat bottom faces extending at an acute angle with respect to the plane of the rear face of the hub and also having straight full length shoulv ders along theirv rear portions, a detachable knife -consisting ofaring-shaped hub fitting in the circular seat in Isaid rear face of the spider hub and a plurality of blades connected to and extending vsubstantially radially from the ringshaped hub and having the leading margins thereofvshaped to present cutting edges and their trailing margins extending angularly with respect to theknife hub and fitting atly in the "grooves and against said shoulders, and means for releasably securing the knife in assembled relation with the spider comprising elongated lips formed integrally with the spider arms and positioned along and in overhanging relation with the outer portions of the shoulders and so as to engage directly and frictionally vthe rear faces of the trailing margins of the blades.

CHARLES W. DIECKMANN. 

